Stacking equipment



July 13, 19 D. M. WRIGHT ETAL STAGKING EQUIPMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 3, 1962 FIG! INVENTORS 5 DAVID M.WRIGHT NORMAN A.HEDSTROM 072, 6207145121? kW ATTORNEYS July 13, 1965 D. M. WRIGHT ETAL STACKING EQUIPMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1962 m w We... 5 V I E -lllllllll N MEEEEII fim m nnu l FIGZ INVENTORS I DAVID M. WRIGHT NORMAN A. HEDSTROM ATTORNEYS July 13, 1965 D. M. WRIGHT ETAL STACKING EQUIPMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 3, 1962 MOE INVENTORS DAVID M. WRIGHT NORMAN A. HEDSTROM BY oalggiowy dmfizmaih $274M ATTORNEYS David M. Wright, Shrewsbury,

United States Patent 3,194,404 STACKING EQUIPMENT and Norman A. Hedstrom, Worcester, Mass., assignors to Barry Wright Corporation, Watertown, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed July 3, 1962, Ser. No. 207,192 15 Claims. (Cl. 21181) The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for the processing of business machine data cards and the like, and more particularly, to novel and improved articulated equipment promoting rapid selective stacking and withdrawal of punched cards which are circulated through high-speed card-processing machines such as sorters and collators.

Based upon convenient exploitation of the data card as a storage medium, by way of punchings, magnetic coatings and the like, various forms of business machines have been evolved to perform such important functions as encoding, storage, retrieval, compilation and computation. Inventory control, account billing, and numerous other laborious, complex and costly operations have been aided greatly by introduction of punched-card machines,

as is well known. Process-ing speed is invariably an important factor, and accuracy is obviously essential; however, limitations in both of these respects arise out of the fact that commonly such machinery is associated with an intermediate human link which is highly susceptible to error and fatigue. By way of example, it is conventional practice for the punched cards which are being processed by certain types of business machines to be removed, stacked selectively and sequentially, and then selectively re-inserted into the machine for a further operating cycle, all through exacting manipulations by an operator. Modernly, machine processing speeds can so outstrip typical operator capabilities that wasteful and costly lags and errors can develop while the tiring operator unsuccessfully attempts to keep pace with the machine. In accordance with the present teachings, however, such difiiculties are resolved through the cooperation of accessory equipment uniquely serving as a selective storage facility which may be articulated in such a manner as to ease and heighten the rate and precision of data-card manpulations by operators. For these purposes, the improved accessory equipment is preferably in the general form of a console-type truck which is convenient for the storage and transportation of standard configurations of punched cards in the very metal trays in which they are customarily held for filing, these trays being received and releasably locked into pivoted two-position counterbalanced racks which may be lodged selectably in nearvertical or near-horizontal positions which orient the cards for optimum stacking, sequential withdrawal, and transporting.

It is one of the objects of the present invention, therefore, to provide novel and improved data-card stacking equipment in which card trays may be selectably oriented to optimum positions facilitating the orderly stacking and withdrawal of cards for processing by business machines.

A further object is to provide a console-type truck for the stacking and transportation of punched cards held in common filing trays, and including provisions for tiltably adjusting and securing the trays to promote the rapid and accurate stacking and sequential removal of data cards.

Another object is to provide novel and improved stacking equipment for punched cards which is readily articulated to receive and yield up cards with ease and precision permitting high-speed processing by an operator.

Patented July 13, 1955 ice A yet further object is to provide an accessory device, for use with punched card business machines, in the form of a console-type truck of low manufacturing cost which securely receives and selectably orients file trays of punched cards such that they may be speedily and accurately stacked and removed in orderly fashion by an operator, and such that the trays of cards may be attached, detached, articulated, transported and stored without risk of damage or spillage.

By way of a summary account of practice of this invention in one of its aspects, there is provided a castermounted open-sided console having spaced ends walls supported by a metal base framework and having a longitudinally-extending main bracket supported between them at a relatively high level and about midway between the sides. Atop the main bracket are mounted a plurality of adjacent elongated racks, each of length, just short of the'side-to-side width of the console, and each pivotally supported from below for tiling movements about an axis extending from end-to-end of the console and disposed about midway of the lengths of the elongated racks. The racks are preferably in the form of shallow opentopped receptacles into which sheet-metal trays for the storage of punched cards may be individually nested and locked with the aid of simple detent-type catches associated with the racks. Nearer one open side of the console, serving as the front at which an operator is to be stationed, each of the tiltable racks is coupled with a separate piston-cylinder shock-absorbing air cushion unit of a known type which'regulates the rate at which the tray supporting racks can pivot from nearly-horizontal to nearly-vertical positions under unbalanced weight of racks themselves, as well as the unbalanced weights of the card-laden trays. In their near-vertical (slightly inclined toward the rear) positions, the racks support the trays in optimum orientations for rapid stacking of cards into them from the open front, while at the same time avoiding spillage. Each tiltable rack unit is further provided with a releasable catch for locking it in a near-horizontal (downwardly inclined rearwardly) position to which it may be readily pivoted by the operator because of the partial counterbalancing of the rack and tray of cards about the pivot axis. In its locked near-horizontal orientation, each rack supports a tray of cards in the optimum position for removal of the cards in sequence of their stacking, and for removal and loading of trays themselves, and for transportation of the trays in the rolling console.

Although the features of this invention which are considered to be novel are set forth in the appended claims, further details as to preferred practices of the invention,

. as well as the further objects and advantages thereof, may

be most readily comprehended through reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 presents a perspective view of an improved card stacking unit, from the front;

FIGURE 2 illustrates the same stacking unit from the rear, in perspective;

FIGURE 3 depicts a pivoted rack and card tray assembly, portions being broken away to expose details of locking mechanisms; and

FIGURE 4 portrays a rack and tray assembly tilted into its near-vertical orientation.

The card-stacking equipment 5 portrayed in FIGURES 1 and 2 includes a generally rectangular base 6 supporting upstanding end panels 7a and 7]) between which extends a main support beam or mounting bracket 8 at an elevated position nearer the open top of the unit. Rigid metal framework 9 and sheet metal panelling elements 10 form a structure, in the nature of a console or cabinet, which is open at the top and front to expose the card stacks machine processing'served by this apparatus.

11a-15ain a plurality of like card-laden file trays ill-15. Seven such open-topped trays are accommodated side-by side. in the elongated'console' unit, including the two further trays 16 and 17 shown only in'FIGUREL and the 'front-to-back depth "18' of'the console has-been selected.

somewhatin excess of the. uniform length 19 of the trays. j

such that the latterdo not project beyond. the sidesof the trays 11-17 may comprise sheet-metal open-topped units measuring about 22% X 6%IX 3 inches, withcarrying bars lib-17b exposed nearv their open rear ends, and withifr'ontal lips Ila-17c, disposed'forwardly of, recessed front pauels'to provide for afu'rtherhold by the operators fingers whe'nithe separable trays are to be lifted into and out of the consolef .The elongated punched data :cards console when positioned horizontally. Typically, the

Ila-17d stacked within. such. trays measure about 7% x 3% inches and are maintained in compact. stacks with'the aid of known forms of. compressors lldel-id slidable in internal tracks '(not shown) to which they-may be releasably. locked at various positions asnecessary.

Punched cards of the aforementioned type are coded.

with apertures distributed to characterizesignificant quantitiesfof-data with high precision, and it is therefore important that they be protected'against damage, loss, or misfiling; The open;trays 11-17 themselves comprise op: timum filing and protective facilities, while at thexsame time exposing their contents so that they maybe con-.

venie'ntly removed or augmented. Console apparatus 51' is thus advantageously constructedto accommodate these 7 cards in the very trays in which they are normally, stored, without requiring that they be separatelyemptied from and returned to such trays at the endrof' the business- For thispurpose, the card trays 11-17 arerec-eived in separateelongated metal racks, 2046,; respectively, mounted side.

by-side'with but small spacings between them on the main cross-beam or bracket 8. The individual racks. are each of open-topped shallow box-like: structure, into which one of the trays may be. set and held in .a closely-nested relationship, Each rack maybe separately locked with the tray received in it, by operatormanipulation of its catch 1 actuator (from among those numbered =a-26a), and

may be released from a near-horizontal position, .to which it is automatically caught, by'operator manipulation 'of its second catch actuator (from among; those numbered Ztib-Ztib), both actuatorsbeing disposed at the front:

under; side of the rack. The. racks. are of dimensions generally complementing those of thecard trays they are intended to receive, except that they may be and prefer- Y ably are're atively shallow'(ex. heigh-t'dimens'ion .27'1'11ay conveniently be but about 2% inches).

Individual mounting brackets 28- -34 for the racks.20-26,

respectively, are secured atop the cross-beam 8 and orient the racks ata level which corresponds to about the walst height of an operator and is'therefo're convenient for/the lowering and raising of the trays into and out of the racks while they are locked in their near-horizontal positions. In these loading and unloadingmanipulations,the operator customarily grasps onerof the handling 1ips'(11c-17c) and bars, (Mb-17b) at opposite: ends of the trayto hold and guide it properly. For reasonsconcerned with optimum manipulations in removal of groups of punched cards fromthe trays, such that they may then noted to a business machine in proper sequence, the trays are preferably locked.to.havc a slight downward inclination, rearwardlyfrather than to.be locked in the strictly level or 7 Were the'lattertrue, loose StaC kS Ofa' punched cards'would tend to fall fiat in the trays, where horizontal position.

maybe exploited instead. g V H While ;-the near-horizontal orientationsiof the racks] (and, henoe,the trays) are important for theloading andcard-removal-operations already referred to,;the,;sta'cking nism :for. the near-horizontal locking isiin the" nature 01' a releasable spring-biased detent which is part of'thebr'acketp V supporting .the rack, this being shown inFIGUREB and i described in detail later herein, although it will be appaifm ent that other latching or releasable lockingconstructions' of punched cards into. these/traysv cannot becperfor'med.

tndinal -axis,35-35 which extendstransv'ersely below i the elongated racks about. mid-wayof their lengths. 7 Each, I rack is somewhat counterbala'ncecl about they pivot axis 1 'even-whenheav'ily laden with the cardsiin-a matedjtrayg such that the Operator experiences little dififieultygin turn-L ing a tray,v from iverticalto horizontal; However, amass unbalance favoring the vertical orientation i is developed intentionally,- whereby even an unloaded rack will tendto gravitate toward the lfront. i when ca'rd loaded traysare carried by the. rackst 'they, tend totdrop Eforcefully and;

quicklyto their near-vertical orientations, such'as those;

illustrated-fortrays;11%l3 in FIGURE 1,and*wereitJnot' for two preventive featuressthere 'would be serious risk] that the punched cards'would be spilled-.5 Such"spillage,1:

' and consequentyloss, damage tordisruption of sequence,; are avoided by thegcushionin g devicesefiilwhich' dampen the permissible rates of forward.tilting-,.and by bracket surfaces which engage to serve QSF'SFOPSPIGVCHE ing the trays from quite reaching thevertica1. As-illu'sl trated in FIGURE. 1, the forwardly-tiltedrack's and trays are inclined 'rearwardly,-from-bottomi to top,i;and the. punched cardsjthus tend to remain direetionbeing adjustable;by manipulation of an air-bleed 1 valve which-controls thegrate atii whi'ch the air compressed f bya movableifipiston, may jesc'ape'from the surrounding, a. cylinder, and the restraints in the opposite: direction being i forms {of dampers may ,obviouslybei f negligible. ZOtheri exploited'also. Details of one r-ackand tray assembly are exposed in--;

' the FIGURE 3 illustration of the. rack 24,; into which the 131 tray 15 has been-nestedand'l-ocked toaccommodate thei punched cards 1 522.

fitting closely with tray 15. 'Lock-ing'whi'ch is important;

in preventing separation of the "trayiand r-ackduringthe; 7 7 permitted tilting movements, isprovided in part-by a fixed rear-catch in the formiof a tongue 43 projecting forward:

7 from the rear end of the racksli'ghtly' above It-he iloor24d.

such thatthe. floor 15e at the ,rear'open end: of the. tray PP n place.fa At the non: end, the lower? forwardly-extending edg'eil 15).- of: the tray is releasably I held by a slidablecatch d twhich is nor'mally held in the 1 illustratedrearmost position by a springf45but whichmay J they would be difficultto remove quickly or where they" might be overlooked and tliereby disrupt the needed sequential removal operation. However, the illustrated downward inclination of thetrays insures that'the cards will tilt toward the rear and remain stacked in the se- Eu enceoriginally given them, such that they may then be withdrawnin proper: sequencealso. One suitable mechabe' pulled forward with theIattacheddownwardly-extends? J ing release handle 24a; to-disengage itself. fromzthe' .tray;

The latter may then be'read-ily withdrawngfrom {the track.

' and-movable with rack 24, a member. 32b; fixed with the. movablerack and having a forkedcoupliug 3-2cgfor pivotalconnection with the'endof piston :rod 46.0fthelair-cirshion; unit 40,-;and' a stationary ib'rjacket member 32d-1rhounted atopt-he cross-beam support 8.: Asis shown in FIGURE 1, bracket member32d is generally U-shaped, and a pivot V pin 47 extendingbetween its spacedjlupstanding,sidessup-. ports the upper'bracketpart 32h. (andtheafiiired rack-)T securely in th ir stacked positions. Preferably, the damping deviceslfi fiefl are of a'known simple air-cushio'n .typei'such as: are com'monly used to regulate doorfclosures, theidamping effect in one;

The zoverlapping sidesf 24candthe fioor 24d of the rack .24nform'a shallow box-like'receptacle;

for the desired tilting movements about the axis 35-35. At their rear edges, the sides of bracket member 32d are each shaped to form a detent slot or notch, 48, into which the ends of a detent in the form of a locking pin 49 may be caught to prevent relative tilting motion between the rack and frame-work member 8 when the rack is in the illustrated near-horizontal orientation (i.e., with its rear end downwardly inclined by the small angular amount 50, which may conveniently be of the order of 10 degrees). Locking pin 49 is fixed with a pivoted plate 51 which is angularly movable relative to the bracket member 32a on which it is pivoted by a support shaft 52. Release spring 53, coupled between pins 47 and 49, biases the latter into locking engagement in the notch 48 when the rack 24 is properly oriented; however, the force of this spring may be overcome, and the locking pin 49 may be disengaged, by operator manipulation of the downwardly-extending slide handle 24b. This handle is affixed to a slide bar Me, the rear end of which possesses a tongue coupled with the pivoted plate 51, when the handle is pulled forward by the operator, slide bar 24c pivots plate 51 about shaft 52, causing the locking pin to leave notch 48, such that the somewhat unbalanced weight of the cards a will cause therack and tray to tilt clockwise (FIGURE 3). Release of handle 24b permits spring 53 to bias pin 49 into engagement with the cammin-g surfaces 32e of bracket member 32d, on which surfaces the pin rides freely without locking unless in position to drop into notch 48. Tilting of the rack and tray is damped by the aircushion unit 40, and when the tray is fully tilted to the near-vertical orientation the rubber shock bumper or stop 54 on the lower edge of bracket member 32b engages the forward edge or stop of cross-beam 8 to halt further tilting. The latter orientation is depicted in FIGURE 4, wherein the tray and rack angular inclinations 55 from the vertical are of the order of about 15 degrees.

The console-type unit as a whole is movable on casters, 56, and is provided with rail handles 57, FIGURES 1 and 2, for convenience of the operator in adjusting the position of the-stacking console in relation to a card-processing business machine with which it is to be used. In practice, the empty racks -26 are locked in the near-horizontal position by pin 49 engaging slot 43 in mounting bracket 32d and are loaded from above with trays which may be empty or may contain cards which are to be processed. Commonly, one of the trays, such as the right-most tray 15 is left empty at the start, and it is dropped to the near- Vertical position for first filling by the operator as the cards which have been fed to the associated business machine are recovered in a predetermined sequence. The operator finds it most convenient to have the trays from which the cards are being removed locked in the nearhorizontal position, but these are dropped to the nearvertical position when emptied or otherwise readied to receive stacks of cards from the operator. As is evident from the illustration in FIGURE 1, the racks and trays which may be in a near-horizontal position are so oriented that they do not project materially forward of those trays which are in the near-vertical positions, and thus do not obstruct stacking of cards into the latter trays. Once a tray is properly stacked, the operator may tilt it backward with ease about axis 35-35 until the locking pin and detent provisions stop and hold it in the near-horizontal position desired for removal of cards or transportation of the loaded trays in the truck.

In alternative constructions, the tiltable racks may of course be mounted on a common shaft, rather than on separate brackets and pivots, although the latter feature provides a desired flexibility in manufacture of units for handling different numbers of trays. Similarly, while air-cushion devices have been described in association with the tiltable racks, other equivalent dampers, such as those which are frictional or hydraulic in character, may be substituted. In addition, the provisions for locking the trays onto the racks, and the racks to the console framework when they are in the near-horizontal positions, may assume forms which are structurally different from those described. The term card as used herein is intended to apply not only to punched but magneticallycoded cards and sheets as well, and to items, such as checks, which are functionally similar insofar as processing and handling are concerned. Accordingly, while specific practices have been discussed, and while preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it should be understood that various changes, modifications, additionsv and substitutions may be effected by those skilled in the art without departure from these teachings, and it is aimed in the appended claims to embrace all such variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. Card-stacking apparatus for supporting a plurality of elongated card trays in preferred positions for stacking and removal, comprising a framework, a plurality of elongated card trays, a plurality of racks each including means releasably locking one of said card trays thereon, means supporting said racks in side-by-side relationship on said framework for independent pivotal movements about an axis, means for releasably locking each of said racks to said framework in first angular orientations about said axis wherein said racks position said trays locked thereon substantially horizontally, and stop means limiting angular movements of said racks between said first angular orientations and second angular orientations wherein said racks position said trays locked thereon substantially vertically, whereby cards may be readily stacked in and re moved from said trays when said racks position said trays substantially vertically and horizontally, respectively.

2. Card-stacking apparatus for supporting a plurality of elongated card trays in preferred positions for stacking and removal, comprising a framework Open at the top and front, a plurality of elongated card trays, a plurality of racks each including means releasably locking one of said card trays thereon, means supporting said racks in elevated positions on said framework for independent pivotal movements about a horizontal axis disposed rearwardly of the front of said framework, means for releasably looking each of said racks to said framework in first angular orientations about said axis wherein said racks position said trays locked thereon substantially horizontally with said trays exposed at the top of said framework, and stop means limiting angular movements of said racks between said first angular orientations and second angular orientations about said axis wherein said racks position said trays locked thereon substantially vertically with said trays exposed at the front of said framework.

3. Card-stacking apparatus for supporting a plurality of elongated open-topped card trays in preferred positions for stacking and removal, comprising a console framework having a base and at least two upstanding spaced sides, said framework being open at the top and front, a plurality of elongated open-topped card trays, a plurality of racks each including means releasably locking one of said card trays thereon, means supporting said racks in elevated positions on said framework for independent pivotal movements about a horizontal axis disposed rearwardly to the front of said framework and perpendicularly to said upstanding sides, means for releasably locking each of said racks to said framework in first angular orientations about said axis wherein said racks position said trays locked thereon substantially horizontally with the open tops of said trays exposed at the open top of said framework, and stop means limiting angular movements of said racks between said first angular orientations and second angular orentations wherein said racks position said trays locked thereon substantially vertically with the open tops of said trays exposed at the open front of said framework.

4. Card-stacking apparatus for supporting a plurality of card trays in preferred positions for stacking and re- 9 wardly from the substantially horizontal position upon release of the means locking it to said framework.

14. Card-stacking apparatus for supporting a plurality of open-topped card trays in preferred positionsfor stacking and removal, as set forth in claim 13, wherein each of said bracket means comprises a first bracket member secured to the under side of a rack, a second bracket member mounted on said framework, means pivoting said first bracket member on said second bracket member about said axis, a movable detent member mounted on said first bracket member, said second bracket member having surfaces forming a detent notch dis posed to engage and lock with said detent member when the rack fixed with said first bracket member is substantially horizontal, and means mounted on said bracket means resiliently urging said detent member into said detent notch, and wherein said means for releasably locking each of said racks to said framework includes a manually-movable member mounted below the rack at the front end thereof, and means connecting said movable 0 member With said detent member to move said detent member out of said detent notch.

15. Card-stacking apparatus for supporting a plurality of open-topped card trays in preferred positions for stacking and removal, as set forth in claim 14, wherein each of said elongated trays has front and rear bottom edges, wherein said means releasably locking one of said card trays on each of said open-topped racks comprises a fixed catch at the rear of each of said racks disposed to engage and trap the rear bottom edge of the one of said card trays nested therewith, and a movable catch at the front end of each of said racks disposed to slide into and out of trapping engagement with the front bottom edge of the one of said card trays nested therewith, a second manually-movable member mounted below each of said racks at the front end thereof, means connecting said second movable member with said movable catch of each of said racks to move said movable catch thereof out of engagement with the front bottom edge of the one of said trays nested therewith, and means resiliently urging said movable catch of each of said racks into trapping engagement with the front bottom edge of the one of said trays nested therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 587,169 7/97 Barrows 45-64 916,443 3/09 Hawk 312327 X 1,891,814 12/32 Haskin 312-233 1,932,687 10/33 Brandt 2ll49 X 2,184,822 12/39 Unger 45-85 2,799,399 7/57 Cannon 2ll49 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,990 1913 Great Britain. 87,501 1958 Netherlands.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. CARD-STACKING APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CARD TRAYS IN PREFERRED POSITIONS FOR STACKING AND REMOVAL, COMPRISING A FRAMEWORK, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED CARD TRAYS, A PLURALITY OF RACKS EACH INCLUDING MEANS RELEASABLY LOCKING ONE OF SAID CARD TRAYS THEREON, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID RACKS IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP ON SAID FRAMEWORK FOR INDEPENDENT PIVOTAL MOVEMENTS ABOUT AN AXIS, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING EACH OF SAID RACKS TO SAID FRAMEWORK IN FIRST ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS ABOUT SAID AXIS WHEREIN SAID RACKS POSITION SAID TRAYS LOCKED THEREON SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY, AND STOP MEANS LIMITING ANGULAR MOVEMENTS OF SAID RACKS BETWEEN SAID FIRST ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS AND SECOND ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS WHEREIN SAID RACKS POSITION SAID TRAYS LOCKED THEREON SUBSTANTIALLY VERTI- 